Tuesday, 23 June 2009

A box to try from Able and Cole

Able and Cole contacted me last week to see if I'd like to try one of their mixed fruit and vegetable boxes. I've had a mixed experience of organic boxes in the past, some good some not so good, so I was keen to try Able and Cole to see what they were like. Sure enough at 8:00 on Friday morning their was a knock on the door and I was greeted with a large cardboard box brimming with super fresh produce.My box contained apples, bananas, broad beans, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, Jersey royal potatoes, melon and spring onions. Clearly not all of it was locally grown -we don't grow many bananas in the UK- but it was, on the whole seasonal, mostly British and never air-freighted which is much better than most supermarkets can manage. It also contained a newsletter and recipe card which I thought was a nice touch.I was really impressed with my box, the quality was excellent, everything arrived looking really fresh and vibrant. The box I tried was the mixed fruit and veg box which cost £15.95 which I think it's pretty good value considering the box is organic and delivered right to your door. One thing to bear in mind if you ever do decide to get a box delivered is that you have no choice as to what goes in it. Personally I quite like the challenge of using unfamiliar vegetables and conjuring up new recipes but if you're the kind of person who likes to plan their meals a month in advance then maybe it's not for you.Cooking with vegetables of this high quality is a joy, I could tell they were good when I cooked with them and I could certainly taste it when I ate them.

The first meal I cooked using vegetables from my box was this broad bean and bacon risotto, simple but delicious.

I like the challenge of not knowing what I'll get! The box I get is all fruits and veggies grown in the Loire Valley (not too far from Paris). The only downside is that in the winter, it gets a bit repetitive and there are some winter veggies I really don't like (like beets) and others that are okay the first couple of times, but then you run out of ideas (like turnips).

Cool stuff about the produce! The good part about not knowing what you're going to receive is that it broadens your horizon, in a way, and introduces you to vegetables you might not have otherwise bought. Can't wait to see what else you make!

I get the same box as Hopie, and agree with both the fun of the challenge and the repetetiveness in the winter - hello, 12 weeks of apples. (Although I did learn to like beets thanks to the CSA, so I guess that's good.) That produce you got looks spectacular!